关键词： Progressive apraxia of speech   Primary progressive aphasia   Diagnostic delay   Frontotemporal dementia  

摘要： Background Progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS) is a neurodegenerative disorder of speech programming distinct from aphasia and dysarthria, most commonly associated with a 4-repeat tauopathy. Our objective was to better understand the reasons for possible delays or diagnostic errors for patients with PAOS. Methods Seventy-seven consecutive PAOS research participants from the Neurodegenerative Research Group were included in this study. The medical records for these patients were reviewed in detail. For each speech-related visit, data such as the chief complaint, clinical findings, and neuroimaging findings were recorded. Results Apraxia of speech was the initial diagnosis in 20.1% of participants at first evaluation noted in the historical record. Other common diagnoses included primary progressive aphasia (PPA) (20.1%), dysarthria (18.18%), MCI/Dementia (6.5%), and motor neuron disease (3.9%). It took a median of 2.02 (range: 0.16-8.18) years from symptoms onset for participants to receive an initial diagnosis and 3.00 (range: 0.49-9.42) years to receive a correct diagnosis. Those who were seen by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) during their first documented encounter were more likely to be correctly diagnosed with PAOS (37/48) after SLP consultation than those who were not seen by an SLP on initial encounter (5/29) (p < 0.001). Conclusion Approximately 80% of patients with PAOS were imprecisely diagnosed at their first visit, with it taking a median of 3 years from symptom onset to receiving a diagnosis of PAOS. Being seen by a speech-language pathologist during the initial evaluation increased the likelihood of a correct apraxia of speech diagnosis.

关键词： osteoporosis   mesenchymal stem cells   extracellular vesicles   EV cargo   engineering EV   osteoporosis medications  

摘要： Osteoporosis is the chronic metabolic bone disease caused by the disturbance of bone remodeling due to the imbalance of osteogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. A large population suffers from osteoporosis, and most of them are postmenopausal women or older people. To date, bisphosphonates are the main therapeutic agents in the treatment of osteoporosis. However, limited therapeutic effects with diverse side effects caused by bisphosphonates hindered the therapeutic applications and decreased the quality of life. Therefore, an alternative therapy for osteoporosis is still needed. Stem cells, especially mesenchymal stem cells, have been shown as a promising medication for numerous human diseases including many refractory diseases. Recently, researchers found that the extracellular vesicles derived from these stem cells possessed the similar therapeutic potential to that of parental cells. To date, a number of studies demonstrated the therapeutic applications of exogenous MSC-EVs for the treatment of osteoporosis. In this article, we reviewed the basic back ground of EVs, the cargo and therapeutic potential of MSC-EVs, and strategies of engineering of MSC-EVs for osteoporosis treatment.

关键词： Kraft paper   Power transformer   Thermal ageing   Fracture toughness   Degree of polymerization   Mechanical properties  

摘要： Oil-immersed transformers use paper and oil as insulation system which degrades slowly during the operation of these machines. Cellulose materials are used generally as insulation solid in power transformers. The degree of polymerization (DP), defined as number of repeating beta-glucose residues in the cellulose molecule, is a critical property of cellulosic insulation material used in transformers, since it provides information about paper ageing and its mechanical strength. The fast-developing electric power industry demanding superior performance of electrical insulation materials has led to the development of new materials, as well as different drying techniques performed during transformer manufacturing and service when required. Both developments have caused some practical difficulties in the DP measurement. Moreover, the increasing interest in synthetic dielectric materials replacing cellulose materials requires measuring alternative properties to the DP to quantify the degradation of insulation solids over time. In this sense, this paper proposes the possibility of analyzing paper degradation through fracture toughness. This approach is different from the study of mechanical properties such as tensile strength or strain because it provides a tool for solving most practical problems in engineering mechanics, such as safety and life expectancy estimation of cracked structures and components which cannot to be considered through the traditional assessment of the mechanical resistance of the material. An accelerated thermal ageing of Kraft paper in mineral oil was carried out at 130 degrees C during different periods of time, to obtain information on the kinetics of the ageing degradation of the paper. Double-edged notched specimens were tested in tension to study their fracture toughness. The evolution of the load-displacement curves obtained for different ageing times at the ageing temperature of 130 degrees C was utilized to the determination of the stress in

关键词： Elevated terrain   finite height   grounding electrode   grounding resistance   lightning  

摘要： An alternative approach is proposed for the analysis of the low-frequency response of a small hemispheric grounding electrode on the top of a cone-shaped mountain with finite height. This article revisits a subject that was treated in three previous articles with an incremental improvement. The geometric profile of the bottom of the cone is theoretically focused. The crucial influence of the terrain profile is reconfirmed in the evaluation of the grounding resistance for an elevated terrain.

关键词： 中国画   款题   研究  

ISBN: (纸本)9787519610258

摘要： 本书主要写了中国画题款的意义、中国画题款的演变发展过程等。作者列举了汉及汉代以前题款艺术的发展概况、汉画像石与壁画的题款概况、唐以前中国画题款的概况、唐代题款艺术的发展，再到宋代绘画的题款艺术、元代绘画的题款艺术、明代绘画的题款艺术、清代绘画的题款艺术等，本书还列举了八大山人的题款艺术，强调了题款的重要性，可以补充面面内容的不足，可以补充画面变化的不足，可以添补为画中的次要”景物”，可以调节画面的均衡、调节其轻重，题款还可以起到调节其墨色节奏的呼应作用，为画面增添无限情趣，而且又是构成画面形式美的特殊因素，使画面的艺术性更加完美。

关键词： Trichophyton verrucosum   Onychomycosis   Nails   CAPP treatment method   Viability  

摘要： Purpose Anthropophilic dermatophytes as etiological factors of onychomycoses are more common than zoophilic fungi. In the case of the latter, reverse zoonoses are possible, which poses a threat to the persistence of dermatophytes in the environment. Nevertheless, without treatment, both types of tinea unguium may lead to complete nail plate destruction and secondary mixed infections with fungi and bacteria. One of the zoophilic dermatophytes that cause onychomycosis is Trichophyton verrucosum, whose prevalence has been increasing in recent years. Such infections are usually treated with allylamines and/or azoles, but such a conventional treatment of infections caused by T. verrucosum often fails or is discontinued by patients. Methods Herein, we reveal the results of our in vitro studies related to direct application of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) on Trichophyton verrucosum growth, germination and adherence to nail as a new alternative treatment method of such types of dermatomycoses. Results Our in vitro studies showed that, while exposure to CAPP for 10 min delays germination of conidia and clearly impairs the fitness of the fungal structures, 15 min is enough to kill all fungal elements exposed to plasma. Moreover, the SEM images revealed that T. verrucosum cultures exposed to CAPP for 10 and 15 min were not able to invade the nail fragments. Conclusion The results revealed that single exposure to CAPP was able to inhibit T. verrucosum growth and infection capacity. Hence, cold atmospheric pressure plasma should be considered as a promising alternative treatment of onychomycoses.

关键词： medullary thyroid carcinoma   calcitonin   procalcitonin   meta-analysis  

摘要： Context: Calcitonin (CT) measurement is pivotal in the management of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), but several pitfalls can affect its reliability. Procalcitonin (ProCT) has been reported as a promising alternative MTC tumor marker. Objective: This study aimed to determine the ProCT diagnostic accuracy in prediction and treatment monitoring of MTC. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for observational studies published until May 2021 without language or time restrictions. Studies comparing ProCT and calcitonin accuracy were included. After removing duplicates and exclusion of not-eligible articles, relevant articles were screened independently by 2 reviewers. Eleven studies (4.5% of the identified studies) met the selection criteria. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed data quality and validity through QUADAS-2. Results: A meta-analysis was performed on 11 sufficiently clinically and statistically homogeneous studies (n = 5817 patients, 335 MTC patients). Hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristics and bivariate methods were applied. Serum ProCT was found to be a highly accurate test for MTC diagnosis and monitoring. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, area under the curve, and positive and negative predictive values for ProCT were 0.90 (95% CI: 0.71-0.97), 1.00 (95% CI: 0.85-1.00), 288 (95% CI: 5.6-14 929.3), 0.10 (95% CI: 0.03-0.33), 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95-0.98), 99%, and 2%, respectively. Conclusions: The high accuracy, compounded with favorable analytical characteristics, give ProCT great potential to replace calcitonin as a new standard of care in the management of MTC.

关键词： Stretchable printed circuit   Thermoforming process   Conductive ink   Adhesive joint  

摘要： In early stages, the electronic circuits have been developed on simple printed circuit boards with multiple copper patterns and components interconnected by lead - free solder. Later on, these are converted to flexible circuits and molded interconnect devices (MID) because of high demand of complex circuit design. Laser machine is used to manufacture 3D MID circuits. An alternative manufacturing process has been introduced in this research. The method is to design functional circuits by using stretchable ink printed on a 2D substrate. Polycarbonate is selected as a substrate on the basis of its glass transition temperature (T-g). Thermoforming process is then applied to transfer 2D substrate into 3D shape. Reverse engineering technique is used to fabricate the mold through several steps. First, the dimensions of rear lighting is calculated by coordinate measuring machine (CMM), transferred to 3D drawing using SolidWorks. And finally the mold is produced using computer numerical control (CNC) machine. Screen printing technique is opted to print ink on a flat thermoplastic Polycarbonate substrate. The highly conductive circuit will be generated after heating printed ink in oven for about 30 min at 120 degrees C. The circuit with substrate is further transferred into 3D shape using the thermoforming process. All the light emitted diodes (LEDs) are then fixed on a circuit by dispensing conductive adhesive and cured again in an oven for 10 min at 120 degrees C, so strong bonds are formed at the joints. The reliability of the circuit is assessed by characterizing mechanical and electrical properties. The designed circuit is then compared with the existing design using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), universal testing, two-point probes multi-meter and spectrometer. The electrical performance of new circuit design shows promising results in terms of power consumption and luminous flux of LEDs and there is no major difference found between them. As a result, the new manu

关键词： Azospirillum brasilense   ethanol utilization   cometabolism   alcohol dehydrogenase   aldehyde dehydrogenase  

摘要： Azospirillum brasilense is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium that is not known to utilize ethanol as a sole source of carbon for growth. This study shows that A. brasilense can cometabolize ethanol in medium containing fructose or glycerol as a carbon source and contribute to its growth. In minimal medium containing fructose or glycerol as a carbon source, supplementation of ethanol caused enhanced production of an alcohol dehydrogenase (ExaA) and an aldehyde dehydrogenase (AldA) in A. brasilense. However, this was not the case when malate was used as a carbon source. Inactivation of aldA in A. brasilense resulted in the loss of the AldA protein and its ethanol utilizing ability in fructose- or glycerol-supplemented medium. Furthermore, ethanol inhibited the growth of the aldA::Km mutant. The exaA::Km mutant also lost its ability to utilize ethanol in fructose-supplemented medium. However, in glycerol-supplemented medium, A. brasilense utilized ethanol due to the synthesis of a new paralog of alcohol dehydrogenase (ExaA1). The expression of exaA1 was induced by glycerol but not by fructose. Unlike exaA, expression of aldA and exaA1 were not dependent on s 54. Instead, they were negatively regulated by the RpoH2 sigma factor. Inactivation of rpoH2 in A. brasilense conferred the ability to use ethanol as a carbon source without or with malate, overcoming catabolite repression caused by malate. This is the first study showing the role of glycerol and fructose in facilitating cometabolism of ethanol by inducing the expression of ethanol-oxidizing enzymes and the role of RpoH2 in repressing them. IMPORTANCE This study unraveled a hidden ability of Azospirillum brasilense to utilize ethanol as a secondary source of carbon when fructose or glycerol were used as a primary growth substrate. It opens the possibility of studying the regulation of expression of the ethanol oxidation pathway for generating high yielding strains that can efficiently utilize ethanol. Such st

关键词： bioactive molecules   alkaloids   flavonoids   terpenoids   coronavirus   COVID-19   SARS-CoV-2  

摘要： Several coronaviruses (CoVs) have been associated with serious health hazards in recent decades, resulting in the deaths of thousands around the globe. The recent coronavirus pandemic has emphasized the importance of discovering novel and effective antiviral medicines as quickly as possible to prevent more loss of human lives. Positive-sense RNA viruses with group spikes protruding from their surfaces and an abnormally large RNA genome enclose CoVs. CoVs have already been related to a range of respiratory infectious diseases possibly fatal to humans, such as MERS, SARS, and the current COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, effective prevention, treatment, and medications against human coronavirus (HCoV) is urgently needed. In recent years, many natural substances have been discovered with a variety of biological significance, including antiviral properties. Throughout this work, we reviewed a wide range of natural substances that interrupt the life cycles for MERS and SARS, as well as their potential application in the treatment of COVID-19.